The Dallas Stars have traveled the most this season. The Pittsburgh Penguins have traveled the least. How much of an advantage do Northeast teams have? They don’t seem to be traveling as much distance or crossing as many time zones. — @theashcity
I saw something about this on X. It’s unconfirmed, but it makes sense that the Stars, the only team from Texas, the largest state in the continental United States, have the most road trips in the NHL, especially this season as they take on the Florida Panthers in the 2024 NHL Global Series Finland presented by Fastenal on November 1 and 2 at Nokia Arena in Tampere.
The closest team to the Stars in the Central Zone are the St. Louis Blues, 630 miles away. They will play there once this season. Chicago and Minnesota are more than 900 miles away, and Utah and Winnipeg are more than 1,200 miles away. They will visit each of those four cities twice. The Stars will play 33 of their 82 games outside the Central Zone, including two games in Finland, eight time zones away from Dallas.
This all factors in when you consider the wear and tear Stars players take on their bodies by the end of the regular season. And it’s certainly an advantage for Northeast teams, especially most in the Metropolitan Division. Less travel means more time at home, which means more nights in your own bed and more control over your sleep patterns, which plays a big role in performance and recovery.
But the Stars need to be prepared for the travel. There is a science to rest and recovery, especially when it comes to professional athlete performance, and the knowledge within the medical community continues to evolve and grow. The Stars have a Director of Sports Performance. They plan when to fly after road games and when to stay an extra night in a city to optimize sleep. Practice schedules are dictated by travel. Travel is important, but so is it for anyone playing in the Western Conference. Playing in the Eastern Conference gives you a geographic advantage.
